FAO Issues Alert for Morocco Amid Rising Desert Locust Populations
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which meticulously monitors the movements of desert locusts through its Rome-based information service, has put Morocco on high alert as of July 7, 2026, according to its bulletin for June 2026. The FAO estimates that a total of 87,363 hectares were treated in Morocco during June, with 33,500 hectares addressed through aerial measures. This response comes in light of the recent emergence of numerous immature adult locust groups across several extensive regions of the country. The FAO has categorized the western region of Morocco as being under 'vigilance,' identifying it as the primary hotspot compared to Algeria, which reported only 1,070 hectares treated, and Mauritania with 68 hectares.
The bulletin highlights the substantial presence of transitory and gregarious adult locusts, particularly immature ones, spreading in areas such as Tan-Tan, Guelmim, the coastline from Tiznit to Agadir, and the Foum El Hassan-Foum Zguid axis, with a minor presence in the Merzouga-Errachidia corridor. While the last larval stages have receded throughout the month, adult groups have gathered in sectors where the vegetation remains lush or is in the process of drying out.
Potential Swarm Formation and Migration Forecasts
The FAO anticipates that some of these groups may develop into small swarms in Morocco before mid-August, with a gradual maturation process and potential reproduction, particularly in the northeastern regions. Moreover, it notes that the majority of immature groups and small swarms are likely to continue their migration towards Mauritania and possibly to other Sahelian countries, where summer breeding is expected to commence. The organization has also observed mating activities near Errachidia and in certain coastal areas, indicating localized maturation, although most adults were still immature by the end of June. No locusts were detected in other areas during surveys conducted in southern Morocco, as per the same report.
In June, the scale of control operations in the western region more than doubled, reaching a total of 88,501 hectares, compared to 41,946 hectares in May, according to the FAO. Morocco accounted for the overwhelming majority of these operations, underscoring the severity of the national outbreak compared to the more limited signals reported from Algeria and Mauritania.
In Algeria, the bulletin notes the presence of some immature adult groups near Tindouf, Béni Abbès, Adrar, and southwestern Béchar, along with solitary adults dispersed and a few larvae observed in interior regions. The FAO forecasts the emergence of new groups in the western part of the country, with reproduction still possible in favorable habitats in the northwest. Meanwhile, in Mauritania, residents reported adult groups between Adrar and Gorgol at the beginning of the month, but subsequent surveys confirmed only isolated or dispersed adults between N’beika and Tidjikja, and then near Kaédi. The FAO predicts that several adult groups and a few small swarms may arrive from the north in July, potentially maturing and laying eggs in the irrigated southern areas.
Countries such as Mali, Niger, Chad, and Senegal reported no locusts in June; however, the FAO considers it possible for adults or groups to arrive from the north, particularly if rainfall fosters summer breeding grounds. In Niger, reproduction could commence in the Aïr and Tamesna regions, while in Mali, it may extend to the northeast.
Overall, rainfall in June remained light to moderate across various sectors of North Africa and the Sahel, with showers noted south of the Moroccan Atlas, in northwestern Algeria, southern Algeria, northern Mali, northern Niger, and central Mauritania. In Morocco, vegetation predominantly remained green from Tan-Tan to Foum Zguid, between Merzouga and Errachidia, and in certain areas of Souss and the Massa Valley.
Within the central and eastern regions covered by the FAO bulletin, the assessment remains calm, with no locusts observed in Egypt or Oman, and no outbreaks reported in Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, or Yemen, although minor summer breeding remains possible in inland Sudan, the western lowlands of Eritrea, and inland Yemen. In Southwest Asia, only a few solitary mature adults have been sighted in southeastern Iran, near the Jaz Murian basin, with limited mating activities. No locusts have been detected in India, but the FAO believes that low-level reproduction could occur in western Rajasthan, northern Gujarat, and, on the Pakistani side, in the deserts of Tharparkar, Nara, and Cholistan.
As reported by barlamane.com.
